I WILL
Matthew 8:1-4, "When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."
Jesus had just finished his Sermon on the Mount. Chapters 5 – 7 give us all the great teachings of Jesus as he stood on the mountainside and spoke to the multitudes that followed him. His words were spoken with an authority and power that none had known before.
It had been a long time since a prophet had entered the land of Israel and spoke the oracles of God with such power. John the Baptist had come preaching but even his powerful preaching could not compare with the power behind the words that Jesus spoke.
When Jesus spoke, the whole world listened and all of creation stood at attention until the commands were given and the words that he spoke had come to pass. Here was the Creator of all things, who spoke the worlds into existence, standing upon a hillside, speaking to the heart of every man who would hear him.
Have you often wondered what it may have felt like if you had been there to hear Jesus speak? What power and anointed there must have been in his voice. This was God in the flesh, not some mortal man.
I think that the closest we can come to that experience is when we hear the Word of the Lord preached and taught under the anointing of the Holy Ghost. After all, the Word of the Lord is alive, quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword and when you couple that with God’s anointing to speak the living Word of God, I think that makes a very powerful combination.
It’s just too bad that many people don’t regard the preaching of the word of God as important as we should. I wonder how many miracles we miss out on because we aren’t close enough to see them? I wonder how many blessings we miss because we are hungry enough for them? I wonder how much anointing we lose because we don’t give place to the leading of the Holy Ghost?
God’s Word is always alive and it is always anointed, and it will accomplish what it is meant to do in the hearts of men.
As he descended from the mountain to enter into the city of Jerusalem, the crowds pressed into hear and see what he would do next. Would he perform some great miracle, or heal sick body, or even raise someone from the dead?
Let me tell you that when the Holy Ghost is moving and people are being healed of all manner of sickness, set free from sin, delivered from the oppressing powers of hell, and saved by the Blood of the Lamb, and the Word of God is preached with the anointing power of God upon it, you won’t have to beg people to come. They will come just to see the fire burn.
As he walked along there came a leper and fell at his feet with a humble spirit, seeking to be healed and cleansed.
There was no hope for the leper – he was caught in a prison of flesh that was slowly but surely dying. No medical doctor, no priest, nor any power on earth could release him from his prison and sentence of death.
But Jesus could – Oh how I love that phrase! When all things seem impossible and there is no more hope, remember that phrase, “but Jesus”. He can when no one else can. He will when no one else will. He is your answer, not some man.
There is nothing too hard for him and nothing impossible.
The leper was unclean! According to the Law of Moses he could never enter the gates of Jerusalem for it was the Holy City, dedicated to God. That leper had to get to Jesus before he entered the gates and so he came as fast as he could. With every step he took, faith would grow a little stronger! With every step hope grew stronger!
Hope – that little 4-letter word that carries such a powerful meaning. Hopelessness is a terrible empty feeling.
I have read a number of accounts of POW’s during the Vietnam War who spent years of torture and depravation in the camps of the enemy. Whether you believe that any of them could still be there or not, the fact is that many suffered untold agony at the hands of their captors and to make matters even worse, their country not only seemed to forget them and forsake them, but then came some of their own countrymen who accused them of being traitors and criminals for doing their duty for God and country.
There were a lot of those soldiers who simply gave up hope. After many days, weeks, months and sometimes years of torture and suffering, they finally lost faith, laid down and died. Most of those who died in the prison camps were not killed by their captors! They died because they lost all hope of being set free.
Others kept the faith, fought back in every way they could, and held on to every shred of hope that they could muster. They learned to support one another, care for one another and even secretly communicate with one another to bolster the hope of their fellow prisoners so that one day they could see freedom once again.
I have no doubt that there are still some in those prisons somewhere. America has finally given up all hope of seeing them again, and I’m sure that they have given up hope of ever coming home. In fact, after so many years of indoctrination, I doubt that they would come home if they could. Whether you agree with me or not, one thing is for sure. Hope is a powerful thing but when it is gone, only emptiness, loneliness, despair and surrender can be the result.
That’s the kind of hopelessness that the sinner faces every day. There is no hope for a better life, for eternal life, or for deliverance from the bonds of sin that hold them to their lifestyle.
The Alcoholic is taught that he will always be an alcoholic!
The drug addict is taught that he will always be a drug addict!
The thief is taught that he will always be a thief!
All the world can do is attempt to control how much alcohol, drugs and criminal activity that people do. The world does not have the power to set men free from anything!
But Jesus – there’s that little phrase again! But Jesus can set them free, and Jesus will set them free!
When that leper, representing the absolutely hopeless condition of the sin-sick soul, came to Jesus and fell down before him, and worshipped the Lord, and confessed that Jesus was the only one who could set him free, and cast himself upon the mercy of Christ, he was showing us just what it takes to be set completely free from all the bondages of sin that hold us back.
You can’t whip the devil on your own, but Jesus has already conquered him! You can’t defeat all the powers of darkness in your own power, but Jesus’ blood has already beaten them once and for all.
We must cast aside everything that holds us back. Cast aside your pride! Cast aside your own abilities! Cast aside your hopelessness! Cast aside the teaching that you can’t be delivered that has been given by the world! Cast aside every little weight and every sin that so easily drags you down and then worship the Lord Jesus Christ!
I believe that Jesus not only has all power in Heaven and in Earth to set you free once and for all but I also believe that it is his perfect will do to just that!
Jesus looked back at that leper and said, “I will, be thou clean!” What power there was in those words! Instantly the prison bars of leprosy were broken! Instantly, that leper was a leper no more! Instantly he was made every whit whole! He may have been told that once a leper, always a leper, but Jesus set him free, and he wasn’t a leper now!
Jesus doesn’t deliver halfway! If we aren’t completely delivered it’s because we are holding something back ourselves! We can’t expect Jesus to set us completely free if we aren’t completely surrendered and committed to him.
All too often we come to the Lord seeking deliverance, but all we want is just enough deliverance to make life tolerable again. We don’t want to commit fully so we just take what Jesus will give and go back to doing what we want to again.
It’s so wonderful that Jesus is full of grace, mercy and love, so much so that he will reach out and touch us sometimes, even when we really don’t mean what we say! But he knows the heart, and if we will fully surrender, then he will fully deliver!
I’m not saying that every Christian who has a problem in some area of their life is lost. I’m not saying that they won’t make Heaven their home. What I am saying is that, until they are fully committed to serving the Lord, placing him first in their lives, they will never know what it is like to be completely delivered and fully walking in victory!
Jesus told that leper to go and show himself to the priests so that they could verify his healing and allow him back into the mainstream of life according to the Law of Moses.
Tell no man but show yourself to the priest was the command.
Why did Jesus tell him to do so? Why didn’t Jesus want the leper go through town announcing to the whole city that he had been healed? Did Jesus want this deliverance to remain a secret? No, that’s not the reason.
Jesus told the leper to go to the priest and keep quiet about it because Jesus didn’t want attention drawn only to the miracle of healing and cleansing. He wanted the focus to be on the fact that all men were in need of deliverance and that though this man was a leper, all men were sinners and needed the same cleansing touch. He wanted us to know that all of us had such a great spiritual need that we must go to him in faith, believing, or life would remain hopeless.
What do you need from the Lord right now? Is it…?
Healing – Jesus says I will - Isaiah 53:5, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
Rest – Jesus says I will - Matthew 11:28, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Deliverance – Jesus says I will - Isaiah 46:4, "And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you."
Encouragement – Jesus says I will - Deuteronomy 31:6, "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."
Salvation – Jesus says I will - John 3:16-17, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved."
Cleansing – Jesus says through the Apostle Paul, I will - 1 Corinthians 6:11, "… but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God."
Wisdom – Jesus says, I will - James 1:5, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
Faith – Jesus says I will - Romans 12:3, "For I say… to every man that is among you… God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
Power – Jesus says I will - Acts 1:8, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you..."
Guidance – Jesus says I will - John 16:13, "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth..."
Jesus says I will meet your need but don’t just focus on the miracle, focus on the Miracle Worker and give it all to me.
The leper was in a prison that he didn’t choose and didn’t want but one that he could not get out of, but Jesus had the key.
What do you need from the Lord right now?
Are you willing to cast yourself at his feet in total surrender?
If you are willing, then Jesus will give you the desires of your heart!
